The Deku
by BigRedKronos
Summary: Izuku Midoriya has always dreamed of becoming a hero. Despite his powerlessness, he wants to follow the path all take to become true heroes. But fate calls him to act faster than what everyone says, and he is forced to make a choice that will ultimately decide what symbol of society he becomes.
1. Chapter 1: Phone Call

His curly green hair blew in the wind as he ran to catch sight of another villain attack.

Izuku Midoriya smiled as he stopped to get a good look from behind the gathered crowds.

A colossal villain smashed around an intersection in pure rage. He roared at anyone who was too close to stay back. And topped it with all sorts of violent threats.

Izuku cheered where he stood as a set of different heroes tackled the monster down. Mt. Lady, with her ability to grow to enormous size, kicked the villain down to submission swiftly. In no time, the situation was resolved and the villain was taken away by police.

The boy pulled out his notebook to write down his observations. "Mt. Lady sure has the looks and the strength for this type of work but her power isn't very useful in getting through smaller spaces. I wonder what her combat abilities are in tighter spaces." He said to himself.

With the time he thought he had now gone, he rushed off to school.

As he walked in to the classroom, most people were already in their seats and showing off whatever small part of their powers and mutations as they could.

But of course, when they looked at him, they would chuckle, roll their eyes, and resume talking amongst their friends.

The worst of them was Izuku's childhood friend turned bully Katsuki Bakugou. The blonde haired boy sat comfortably in his chair with his feet up on his desk, talking with his two friends. They behaved more like cronies.

Izuku didn't put much thought into his other classmates, or what they thought of him. He knew what they all thought and he refused to let it get to him.

He sat in his desk and scribbled in more notes.

His journal had accumulated notes from all kinds of superheroes old and new. About their abilities, their costume designs, their personal ideologies, and their techniques. Izuku absorbed it all up and loved it. But he kept it a secret.

Despite his best efforts to ignore what disbelievers have said and will say, Izuku still keeps his dreams a secret from most because he fears their ridicule and mockery. They all give the same criticism. The only set of criticism that isn't constructive to him in any way because all have said.

"You can't be a hero without a Quirk."

"Sorry kid. It's not gonna happen."

"I'm sorry, Izuku! I wish things were different!"

He shook off those thoughts. Those flashbacks. Truth be told, it was difficult staying optimistic and hopeful when everyone else told him otherwise.

But he refused to give up. He always looked to heroes such as All Might.

Despite being the absolute best hero in the world, All Might is surprisingly humble, behind a bit of a TV personality. He always said the most inspiring words. Some of his best, in the darkest of times.

For instance, a video Izuku loved to watch as a kid where the great hero, while rescuing people from a massive wreckage, is laughing. Smiling. Assuring everyone present that everything will be okay. Simply because he is there to help.

Now Izuku realistically cannot do what All Might can on such a scale. However his words and his image inspire him to do all that he can. To go beyond his limitations for the sake of others. No matter the cost.

And the cost for him was the mockery from his classmates and people who knew him.

The bell rang and first class began.

Izuku not only loved all things hero, he had a deep conviction to school. It's practically what made him love studying heroes, and the studying made it easier for school. It all went hand-in-hand for him.

Still, he couldn't help but sketch out the heroes he loved most. And a few designs for his own costume—if he ever actually became a hero of course.

"What are you doing?" His blonde haired bully asked.

Before Izuku knew it, the day had gone by. Class was over. He remembered submitting his name for high school. He wrote down that he wanted to go to UA High, the greatest school for heroes in all of Japan.

And now Katsuki Bakugou was standing over his desk, staring down at Izuku with eyes that reflected his clear irritation towards his powerless classmate.

Izuku held on to his notebook, which he had been making some last minute notes inside.

Still, Katsuki grabbed the journal and scanned the contents.

"What'cha got there, Bakugou? His diary?" One of his friends chuckled with the other as they walked up behind him.

As Izuku quickly went to protest and demand that he be given his journal back, Katsuki slammed it between his hands, scorching it with his powers. And just as quickly, tossed it behind him out the open window into the school's courtyard.

"Th-That's so mean!" Izuku cried out.

"I still can't believe a Quirkless loser like yourself wants to be a hero 'just like me'." He frowned. "Even if you had a power, you'd still be just as worthless to me as you are now. Same with everyone else."

"Haha. Okay, man. Let's get goin'." Katsuki's friend suggested.

Katsuki nodded with a snicker and began to walk out of the near empty classroom. "Y'know if you really want to be a hero, maybe you'll be born with a Quirk in the next life, after you take a swan dive off of the school tower!"

Izuku, with dried tears on his cheeks turned to make a statement when his eyes met with an equally fierce resistance in his bully.

Katsuki's hand was up, demonstrating a couple small explosions in his palm. "Something wrong?" He asked sinisterly.

It took the green haired boy until he gathered his belongings and walked out to pick his notebook from the koi pond to start breathing again. "That stupid jerk... He can't just go around telling people to kill themselves... What if I actually did it? What then?..."

Quickly brushing those dark thoughts away, he began to march home, forcing himself to think positively.

But as he turned the corner, his phone rang.

"I-Izuku?! Baby!" The voice of his mother cried out from the speaker.

"Mom? Mom, what's wrong?!" Izuku responded.

"Izuku! Don't... Don't come home... Go to the police station! Please find help!"

"Mom! Mom!"

He didn't wait for anything more. No response. No decision making. His legs began to move. Fast. He sprinted down the road towards his mother's apartment.


	2. Chapter 2: Spots

He ran as fast as he could. He didn't care how tired it would make him or how his lungs begged for more air. Or how his legs sought for one moment to rest. He ignored it all, his drive to see if his mother was okay over-powered him. Nothing else mattered.

As he turned the corner to face the block their apartment building was on, he witnessed several masked people carrying his mother in their collective arms towards a black, unmarked van.

She was kicking and thrashing and screaming, but it sounded like they already had put a gag over her mouth.

Izuku did not stop. The only time he had to think was in the seconds he spent charging the scene alone.

There were about five kidnappers. One was female from the shape of her body under the dark clothes. None of them had identical masks on, which meant they were probably different villains working together.

"Hey hey! There's a kid charging us!" One of them stopped and noticed Izuku from his peripheral vision.

"Don't kill him. We don't want evidence left." One of them ordered as he finished slamming Izuku's mother into the back.

"Should we kidnap him too?" Another asked.

"Nah. Too skinny. Plus his mom whined something about her son being Quirkless. If this is him, he's useless to us."

"Why would that stop us?" The female asked.

"Too much work for the Doctor. Just knock him out!"

By that time, Izuku was meters away, slowing down from his exhaustion. Thinking quickly, he swung his backpack from off of his back and used his momentum to launch the open bag at the criminals.

The closest one had turned to face him. His body was covered in spots like those on a leopard. Upon activating his Quirk, the spots expanded until they fused together, covering his entire body.

The debris simply bounced off with absolutely no affect. He snickered and kicked his foot out, hitting Izuku square in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

He sputtered and gasped feeling his breath escape his lungs and refuse to reenter.

"Wanna be a hero, kid? Do us a favor and get lost." He hissed.

Izuku coughed and growled. Something he'd never felt before at such a scale began to rise up inside of him. Pure hateful rage that clouded his thoughts of all logic but immediate retaliation towards these awful people.

It fueled him to stand up fast and charge the villain.

"Ugh, kid. Give it a rest!" He kicked down the boy again with one more hit.

"Shell-Horn, let's get out of here! Someone else might see this!" One of the villains called from inside the van.

"N-No..." Izuku turned his head to see that his mother was already in the back, probably restrained from making any movements of escape. The other villains were also inside, keeping her there and starting up the engine.

"Nothing personal, kid. Really. It's just...business as usual." The villain whose colleagues called Shell-Horn smiled. The spots on his body shrunk back down.

Izuku struggled, but managed to stagger back on his feet.

"Pfft. Pathetic." The villain scoffed before rushing to the van and hopping in the driver's seat.

The green haired boy limped quickly to the black vehicle. He gasped and whimpered. Groaned and growled. Tears filled his eyes before falling down his cheeks.

He thought he saw his mother's hand defiantly reaching out to the rear window for him as the van sped away in a cloud of smoke.

He stared ahead at the back, searching for a license plate. Nothing. He eyed the design of the van to as much detail as he could.

Then he collapsed on to his knees on the wet pavement and stared down, letting his tears redirect to trickling down his nose and falling off straight.

If only he had a Quirk. If only he was stronger. Faster. Smarter. If only he came sooner. His mother was the only one in his life who supported him and saw potential in him, even if it wasn't completely being a hero. Not only that, she was his best friend. The only one to nurture and love him and listen to him explain his favorite heroes and especially All Might.

What was this? Why was he feeling so hopeless? He had to do something. Anything! He struggled again, but he forced himself to straighten his back and rest on his knees. However, his rage and hopelessness battled inside of him, tilting his head back into the oncoming droplets of rain. He screamed out loud.

"Can you tell us everything you saw regarding the villains? What did they look like? What did they sound like? What did their vehicle look like?"

Izuku sat in silence in front of a desk with a towel around his back.

"Son we can't help you unless you help us first." The police officer frowned, sitting at his desk facing the boy.

"There was five of them. All dressed in black... O-One was wearing a cat mask. A-Another was wearing a robot mask, like the kind from an old black and white film. Another wore some kind of scuba goggles, at least, it looked like it." Izuku sniffed.

"Right. Yes." The officer replied.

"One was a woman w-with some kind of skull mask. And the last one didn't have a mask... He had leopard spots on his body that could expand to protect him like some kind of hardened skin." Izuku continued.

"And what kind of vehicle?"

Izuku paused for a moment. Fighting off his emotions, he seemed to think there was no sense of urgency happening. "May I speak to someone else?" He asked.

The officer exhaled, seeming more annoyed than frustrated. "Well, son, I can't do anything unless we have names and descriptions."

"It happened just outside of our apartment... Don't you have detectives? Or someone with a Quirk that can track them from there?" Izuku asked rather impatiently.

The officer sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

"No!" The green haired boy bounced on to his feet. "Let me talk to a detective! Or someone willing to take me seriously!"

"Hey hey! I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry. It's not often the mothers go missing and the kids report it..."

His apology meant nothing. Sure he acknowledged how serious it was. Yet he didn't speed anything up.

"Please just let me talk to someone... Every minute we just spend talking, she... Th-They..." He sobbed.

The police officer signaled for someone to come over to his desk. "Don't worry, son. We're on the case. We'll get yer mom back."


	3. Chapter 3: The Gateway

Months had passed since those life-changing events took place.

Izuku didn't like to think about where he ended up after that. He didn't bother opening himself up to much after that.

All he really did that stuck out was stand outside of the gates of UA and watch the high school students walking together from building to building on the campus.

His mother wasn't his primary source of inspiration to become a hero. After all, she hadn't been as supportive to him in his darkest moments as he needed her to be. It was just that, nothing else seemed to matter now that she was gone.

Police all over Japan searched and searched for the Inko Midoriya but found no traces of the unmarked black van nor those cruel villains who took her.

Despite their best efforts, they made it seem like they didn't care at all.

He had to think rationally. Lots of people go missing. And their families are deeply affected by it every time. They become impatient and not understanding and closed off. Even though he was conscious of that, it couldn't stop him from feeling the exact same way.

If only he was born with a Quirk. If only people noticed what he could do rather than tear him down and treat him like he was useless. He would have destroyed those awful men. Beaten them to a pulp and turned them all in to the police in a heroic way.

Every kind of "should have, could have, would have" rotated in his brain all hours of the day and it wore him down.

But when he came to the gates of UA, he felt better.

This day in particular, he noticed a pair of students, a tall blue-haired boy with glasses, and a shorter brunette girl with round rosy cheeks were walking out of class together. They seemed to be good new friends. It was still very early in the semester for them.

Izuku was just sent to a traditional high school studying generals. It just felt like a repeat of middle school, only much lonelier.

So he watched the two UA students exit the gateway with several others on their way to the train station. And he decided to follow them.

The students walked and talked down the sidewalk. The brunette sounded very passionate about their conversation concerning their hero course. The blue-haired boy seemed very authoritative but just as passionate and friendly.

Honing in on the conversation they were having, Izuku followed a little closer, trying to blend in to the small crowd around them.

"Do you think I should make some alterations to my costume? It didn't seem to help me in today's exercise. I felt aerodynamic but just a little too tight." The girl sighed.

"Aerodynamics, especially regarding your Quirk are very important to keep. But if you think you should loosen it a bit, I'm sure the costume department will be happy to stretch it since it's so early in the year and just our first day wearing them." The boy explained. Some points he made, he emphasized by swinging his wrist or his arm pointing four of his fingers straight.

"What is your Quirk?" Izuku blurted out. He was so deep in thought, he hadn't realized he said that out loud and winced as they turned around in surprise.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, sir." The boy said frowning.

"Y-You're both UA students, right?" He asked.

The girl nodded. "Yeah, that's right." She shared a concerned look with the blue-haired boy, only she seemed a bit more patient and sympathetic at first glance. "We had our first big training today in costumes."

"Uraraka." The boy addressed her. "Let's not just tell anyone about what we do as students of UA."

"I-I was just curious... I've always wanted to go there." Izuku sighed.

"Do you have a Quirk?" The girl known as Uraraka asked.

"What, me? N-No. I don't..." The green-haired boy shuddered, tightening his grip on his backpack strap.

"Oh... Really?" Uraraka raised her eyebrows.

"If you want to become a hero, it's certainly no easy task being Quirkless. Let alone getting into UA High." The taller boy exhaled.

"It's not supposed to be easy for anyone." Izuku corrected him, losing a little patience himself.

"What it really takes is desire. If you have desire to become a hero then you need to be ready to train yourself for it and work and study and exercise." Uraraka mentioned.

"Right..." Izuku lowered his head. "I want to, but I guess my desire does tend to come and go." He let out a small chuckle to lighten the mood.

"You're probably wondering what insight we have about a Quirkless becoming a hero, then." The blue-haired boy said.

"Iida, I hope you're planning on encouraging this guy." The brunette girl narrowed her eyes teasingly at her friend.

"I consider myself a realist, much like our teacher. It's not right to encourage false hopes..." He sighed.

"Guys, I'm willing to do anything to become a hero... Even if it means I need to do more because I'm Quirkless, I'll do it." Izuku raised his head and stood tall.

The girl Uraraka smiled at him. "My name's Ochako Uraraka."

"And I'm Tenya Iida." Iida said.

Izuku smiled lightly. "I'm Izuku Midoriya."

The two students both had a moment of thought at the same time.

"W-Well, first thing I'd recommend: exercise. And not just any exercise. Find something to benefit the community and build you muscles moving or building or deconstructing something big." Iida cleared his throat.

Uraraka giggled and added input here and there from her own perspective.

Izuku pulled out his notebook and began to write everything he heard into it. Exercise routines, hero ideologies, costume designs- benefits and flaws, even study habits and dieting.

He never forgot what was always lingering in the back of his skull, but Izuku felt happy he got this chance to talk with a few nice students and get some of their opinions on things.

Those men never left his thoughts however. He still needed to bring them to justice.


	4. Chapter 4: Candle Wick

"Help!" The sounds of a young boy echoed through the near-empty streets. "Someone help! Please!"

Izuku was the first of anyone around to turn toward the source of the cries. With the same energy boost he felt the day his mother was taken, he blasted his legs down the street.

A young boy, probably not even old enough for middle school with light blue hair ran frantic over the sidewalk and almost crashed into Izuku's legs.

"What's happened?! What's wrong?!" Izuku asked with as much urgency as the boy was displaying.

"I-It's my dad! A bunch of dudes in a truck took him away!" He sputtered with tears flowing hot down his cheeks.

"Where?!" Izuku asked.

"That black truck!" The boy pointed to a black van speeding down the road.

Izuku locked his eyes on the van and instinctively started to run.

He ran, and ran, and ran.

The familiar black van with the familiar silhouettes inside.

He found an opportunity when it hit an intersection with cars speeding by, blocking a quick, safe path.

Izuku had no idea what he could or would do once he got to them. He remembered one of them had a hardened skin Quirk but not much else about the other Quirks. His best bet was to be quick. Rip open the door somehow and pull the father out of the back before any of them have any reaction time.

He needed some extra leverage to make up for the lack of defenses, or powers for that matter.

As he approached the briefly stopped van, he pulled out a pencil from his backpack.

He was just less than a meter from the back doors when he thought he could see in slow motion, one of the men inside turn his eyes toward the boy.

Now he really needed to speed things up.

This was incredibly risky and stupid, just like before when it was his own mother. He needed to be smarter about this but in the moment, he couldn't. Izuku could only rely on luck for so long and this was testing it. The van's doors could just be locked. One of the villains could have a forcefield Quirk on the van. Everyone inside could be faster and won't hesitate to kill him for intervening.

Still, Izuku reached for the door and ripped it open.

Luck gave him one more shot. The villains must have not locked it when they left in a hurry.

The first thing he did with his other hand, as his left hand opened the door. Clenching the pencil with the point out, he thrusted it forward directly into the eye of the villain closest to the back.

He roared in pain while Izuku jumped inside and reached for the kidnapped father who was stuck sandwiched between two more villains.

Suddenly, one of the villains in the back with him grabbed his arm and threw Izuku out through the doors he worked so hard to get through. As he fell out, the villain with Izuku's pencil still in his eye, still gripped in his hand, toppled after him.

"Dammit, Yasako! Move!" One of the villains with a familiar husky voice shouted.

Izuku looked up only to see the barrel of some sort of big gun pointed down at him in the street.

He had to act fast. Without a second thought, he pulled the man with the pencil in his eye (it must have really knocked him out) between himself and the gunman.

Izuku yelled out as he heard the gun go off several times, blasting holes of red confetti out of the villain he used as a shield.

The van sped off. The father could be heard screaming as the doors were again shut.

The green-haired boy, not even realizing the heaviness of the situation now, shoved the body off of himself to watch in defeat as the villains once again got away.

People on the sides of the scene stood in shock. No one knew what to do here but to wait for the authorities.

Izuku didn't want to deal with the police again. Not like this.

He decided to search the body for any leads he could. Turning the villain's body over, he pulled out a couple guns and papers and stuffed everything into his backpack.

"Kid! Hey, kid! That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do. Are you alright?" A flower shop keeper asked as he walked up.

"Someone call for help! That guy got shot!" A bystander yelled out.

"What?!" Someone else turned to see the dead body next to Izuku.

Izuku Midoriya, through the commotion on the corpse in the street, put on his backpack and scrambled away into the growing crowd. Anyone who remembered the boy's involvement with what they saw lost sight of him quickly.

He didn't feel as short of breath as he was the other day. He felt exhilarated.

And he didn't feel remorse, or shock, or panic from his involvement in the accidental death of that villain. After all, he was just another one of those monsters who took his mother, and now that boy's father. And who knows however many more innocent people.

As he ran from the scene, he looked back to see police and emergency medicals arrive and establish control of the situation. Or so they wanted everyone to think.

Izuku risked his life and sacrificed everything in that instant and they only showed up once the carnage was over. And yet he was putting his trust in them to look for his mother. They weren't even there for that little boy.

From his peripheral vision, he saw the same little boy now being comforted by workers in an ambulance with a blanket around himself.

Izuku didn't stop. He looked straight ahead. He didn't turn around, even when he started hearing people call to him.

He ran to the only place he could call home after this all began. Not his foster home. They won't help him with what he was thinking next. He needed to go back to his Midoriya family apartment.


	5. Chapter 5: Dancing With Guns

Izuku, having broken into the old apartment, stood in what was once his bathroom, facing the mirror.

Something inside him didn't feel right.

Heroes don't kill. Anyone who dies in their care, whether fellow hero, civilian, or even villain... Their last fleeing moments haunt the heroes for a long time, if not the rest of their lives.

Yet the burning desire for revenge silenced any feeling of remorse and dread and shock. It almost gave him a comforting feeling like he wanted to dance for joy. One of the men who took his mother from him was dead by his hand.

And he wasn't even the one who killed the villain.

And now, Izuku had his gun in his backpack. He looked at it sitting at his feet and reached down. After some fishing through, he pulled out the pistol and inspected it curiously.

It was heavier than he imagined. He had no idea how guns worked, but if he was going to be a hero and stop those men, he needed tools to help him gain some leverage. Villains with Quirks don't even need guns yet this one did. And so did the one who killed him.

It was time Izuku made things fair.

He looked around inside the apartment. Following the days that his mother was kidnapped, the police and family services placed him and his belongings into the foster system and cleared out their family apartment. No one had moved in to it yet.

But he wasn't ready to give it up. His current foster family wasn't so bad, he just didn't want to open up to anyone else. He didn't want to be anywhere else.

Izuku spent the entire afternoon to evening taking apart the gun and inspecting it bit by bit, cocking the few bullets inside and setting the pin and trigger in place.

He got an idea and stood up aiming the gun at the wall next to a window. With two hands holding it steady, his finger pressed firmly back on the trigger.

-BANG-

Despite his flinching at the loud noise and brief panic, the gun remained fairly steady in his shaking arms and he looked to see a bullethole now in the wall, not where he was aiming but still in the general vicinity. If there was a target placed on the wall, the hit would have hit the wall just beside it. Not bad, but not good either.

Quickly he realized the commotion such a noise would cause, especially from an abandoned apartment. So he threw the gun in his backpack, swung the whole thing over his shoulders, and climbed out the window as fast as he could using sheer muscle memory.

As he ran home, a smile of determination crept on his lips. If this was how he was to be a hero, then so be it. The police can keep searching but he decided with time, he was going to take matters into his own hands.

And so the next day after classes in his general high school, assigned to him by his foster parents, he ran back. Only this time, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to practice firing a gun in the same place, so he went to a park and waited until there were no patrons around.

He watched from the park bench the families and couples walking by and having fun together. He dared to see a young mother swinging her little boy around by his arms.

The green-haired boy refused to let it get to him but he couldn't stop a few tears from falling down his cheeks.

"Whatever it takes... I will save her..." He sniffed. "I will become a hero... And I will defeat those villains before they harm anyone else... Whatever it takes." He clenched his fists.

It was at that time the news flashed a notification on his phone. He pulled it out and stared at the headline:

"UA High School's USJ facility attacked by over 70 Villains! Leaders still at large!"

This prompted him to sit up and begin reading everything from every news station he could.

"Villain Group dubbing themselves the League of Villains!"

"Plans to Kill the Symbol of Peace thwarted!"

"Mysterious Villain with Multiple Quirks?!"

"UA First-Year Students Dead After Deadly Villain Encounter!"

"What's Next for the League of Villains?!"

Could they be affiliated with the men who kidnapped his mother? Izuku sighed. Probably not. He still isn't sure what their intentions are kidnapping random people off the street. Whereas this "League of Villains" had priorities to target big-time professional heroes...and students?

Izuku thought about those two UA students he met the other day. The cute girl with the brunette hair and small pink pads on her fingers, and the taller boy with dark blue hair and engines in his legs.

Of the twenty students in the class who got attacked, two of them didn't make it out alive. A girl with a frog-like appearance, and a boy with purple balls on his head.

All Might himself received a few bad wounds as well fighting a villain with multiple Quirks and the two ring leaders as well. Some described him almost looking like a skeleton once reinforcements arrived to finish them off.

Izuku's heart hurt. There were two students who died in that attack. More were injured. And the leaders got away.

Yet he was also intrigued by the villain with multiple Quirks. That was either an evolutionary miracle, or a Frankenstein's monster gone wrong. Judging by the description and the appearance in the photos, it was probably the latter.

The League of Villains had a way to give someone multiple Quirks and use them like a tank. Where did they find someone so desperate?

Was the monster forced to become that, or were they a volunteer? And no matter the answer to that question, are there more out there?

Izuku pondered and muttered these thoughts to himself until people were gone. Then, he pulled out the gun from his bag and channeled himself by firing at the trees.

Each shot grew closer to the center but still wasn't enough. He was still flinching too hard and not focused enough.

He fired again but it was just a silent click. Empty magazine.

"Dammit..." He cursed.


	6. Chapter 6: Hero Costume

If Izuku was to stand a chance against powerful villains, he would need loaded guns.

He didn't have anything to lose to feel hopeless about having used up all the bullets in the gun he had. He just needed to think about how he could take more. That one villain with the spots had a pretty good gun he used on his partner who unwillingly became Izuku's human shield.

Where the guns were, there were the villains, and possibly where they kept people they kidnapped.

He got an idea and snuck back into his foster family's home, to his room. Of the items the authorities granted him from his mother's list of possessions, they gave him a small bag.

Izuku pulled it out from under his bed and opened it.

Inside the bag was a green outfit with white trims. He pulled it out and held it up high to inspect it.

Including with it was a small letter taped to the outfit, with his mother's handwriting.

Izuku,

I'm sorry I don't always openly support your dreams to become a hero. I try to be a good mother to you and sometimes that means I have to be realistic.

Needless to say, I knew you were going to apply for a hero high school so I made you this. I'll keep my hopes up for you because I want to see you succeed, but it's going to be a long hard journey. I just hope you don't feel so alone when you take it.

I made this for you anyway. Wear it proudly, or change it up if it's not really your style. I only based it on some of your sketches I noticed in your notebook.

I love you, my little Izuku! Be careful out there!

Love,

Mom

Izuku felt himself crying again. He bit his lip to quiet himself and try to stop as he inspected the homemade hero costume. One of his last treasures of his mother.

He took it with him along with his backpack filled with some collectible shuriken stars detailed with popular superheroes on the edges, the gun he had, and another gun from his foster father's private box. It was similar in design to the one he already had and it was fully loaded too.

"Izuku?" A soft feminine voice asked, almost reminding him of his mother.

He turned around to see his foster mother standing in his doorway. From the angle, she couldn't see what was inside his backpack, which was still open.

"Hey." He nodded his head in respect to her.

"Sneaking out again?" She asked.

Izuku sighed. "Yeah..."

She lowered her head and looked at the floor. "I'm not your mother... You know that. I want you to be here sleeping, whatever you feel you need to do out there, please just be safe. Don't... Don't do anything that could be harmful, okay?"

"I'll be okay." Izuku said forcing a smile. "I'll be back in bed soon. I just want to clear my head."

She approached him and gently pressed her palm against his cheek. "No matter what, we want you to feel at home here. I know it's cheesy but I know what it's like to lose my family."

Izuku thought for a moment. "Did you...ever long for justice for the people responsible for your loss?..." He asked hesitantly.

"Yes..." She sighed. "But it wouldn't just bring my family back... It would only tear more families apart."

Izuku wanted to protest. Those people who took his mother. He didn't care if they had families or legitimate reasons why they did it, they still did it and needed to be brought to justice, no matter what it took to bring them there. Still, he tried to take something from his foster mother's words of wisdom.

"Goodnight, Izuku. I hope we can see you tomorrow for breakfast." She smiled warmly and gave him a brief but tight hug.

He watched her exit the room and shut the door softly behind herself.

The boy then climbed out of the same window in his bedroom as he did to get in, and began to spray paint the costume outside black.

His foster home was in a friendly suburban neighborhood. Small and medium sized houses lined the streets.

He used the concrete section behind the house as cover to his costume as he sprayed it and let it dry.

Once it dries, it would be time to go out and be the hero his mother needed.

He sat by the costume laying on the pavement now sprayed dark black, in deep thought of what he should do.

"I bet one of them has a cloaking Quirk that turns the van invisible as they drive in it." He examined to himself. "They're carrying big guns that are definitely illegal. All I have is a pistol type. If I can use mine to obtain a bigger one, I can use that as leverage..."

Before Quirks appeared in society, guns seemed to be the superpowers. Whoever had the biggest gun had the upper-hand, even if they weren't so good using it.

Now, it seems that anyone with a gun is considered a low-level thug. But there are still heroes who use them, some because of their Quirk. Such as Snipe, who became a teacher at UA.

With these guns, Izuku pledged to himself to only use them on the villains responsible for these crimes related to the taking of his mother.

Now it was time to go out and search for those criminals the only way he could. Not by chasing them down after they've kidnapped someone, but join them. Gain their trust. Even for just a moment. Then...

Then, he would avenge his mother, and all other wives, husbands, mothers, and fathers they have taken for whatever nefarious purpose.

In the dim light of the street lamp nearby, his face stared at the costume now dry. His face, like the night, was cold and blank and still as he picked it up and slipped it on.


	7. Chapter 7: The Underground

The boy with head of green hair, marched his way through the slummiest, sketchiest, dirtiest parts of the city. It started to rain, electrifying the neon lights of bars, brothels, and smoke stores he passed by.

It would seem dangerous, only the places he walked were surprisingly busy. People who thrived on the shady dark world in the shadows of Japan intermingling with people just passing through or stopping by for a brief moment of pleasure and escape.

Izuku looked on ahead, due to his teenage innocence, and his overbearing determination. Still, people gave him odd looks wherever he darted his eyes from off his course. He was dressed in a black hero costume after all. It was probably why some people were keeping their distance.

But his costume didn't have many big pockets, so he brought an old bag with himself, not his backpack. And inside were the tools he would need for the job.

Where to begin? He started to look around. The neon lights in the streets went away and he found himself in a section with no lights, and people hiding their faces as they interacted amongst each other.

"You lost, young man?" An older gentleman with a sly smile stuck on his face. His eyes seemed half shut naturally. He wore a purple jacket and round glasses with a cigarette poking out the corner of his mouth.

Izuku thought about his response. He can't just bring this up to just anyone. But he needed to risk it in order to find his way to those villains. He needed to lie, which was something he was never good at. Mustering up all the confidence in his mission to his voice, he pulled his mouth guard from his mouth, turned and gave the man a returning smirk.

"I...heard about some guys looking for people. I've got nothing left to lose and I'd like to join them." Izuku said.

The man cocked his eyebrow in intrigue. "You got any Quirk?"

"...I can make myself so quiet, normal ears can't hear a thing I do." He explained. If there ever was a Quirk he could attempt to fake, it could be stealth, which is entirely how he planned to accomplish this job.

"Interesting. Not the best Quirk. Hell, it sounds pathetic but... I know some guys who just love people with nothing left to lose." He chuckled. "Come this way." He gestured for Izuku to approach his doorway flexing his finger into a hook slowly over and over.

Izuku replaced his mouth guard to cover his face again and stepped forward.

The man lead him inside to a small hole-in-the-wall diner with no patrons besides them. "So what's your plan, kid?" He turned and asked keeping his smile.

Izuku nearly jumped at the question. "Plan?"

"Yeah, everybody's got a motive. Revenge, money, love, anarchy, you name it. I've seen it all." He smirked.

"...I seek to kill the men who took my mother." Izuku said. He decided those choice words because this guy didn't seem like the type who liked words like "justice". Did he mean kill? He didn't mean to mean it... But it came out very genuine. A lie that he could produce that was so believable, it fooled him for the moment.

"Oh you'll have fun with these guys then." The man smirked. "Name's Giran."

Now Izuku hadn't thought of his hero codename. He could have fun with it playing the part of a villain. He thought back to the names he thought he would have as a hero. Most of them were All Might ripoffs however.

Then something made him think back to the only other close influence in his childhood besides his mother's names for him. Katsuki Bakugou, his friend-turned-bully, called him Deku, for how useless and Quirkless he was considered.

"Deku." Izuku said, returning a name back and shaking the man's hand.

"Interesting name. I take it you're quite the underdog. Have you ever committed a crime before?" Giran asked.

"Theft..." Izuku stared at him.

"Oh right. Stealth. I should have guessed." He shrugged and chuckled.

"Are those men here?" Izuku asked a little impatiently.

"I just sent them a message. They don't often get volunteers." Giran smirked. He seemed to know their true motives.

Izuku guessed he thought they would take him like they did his mother, even voluntarily.

"I told you why I'm doing this." Izuku sighed. "What will they have me do that will get me to exact revenge?"

He asked that more to pass the time, but it was still very good to get any information out as possible.

"They're more involved in robberies. They organize heists and stuff. Sometimes if they're lucky, they get to kill people like hitmen." Giran explained, probably not being the most honest about their plans. To him, Izuku was just another victim just making himself an easier target.

He didn't jump to the conclusion that Izuku wanted revenge on those villains specifically. But not many groups of villains in trucks would go around kidnapping just anybody.

They didn't share everyone they kidnapped with Giran, but he did manage to hear about it somehow. The chance that they kidnapped a woman who was this boy's mother was entirely possible.

"I only want the chance to kill the monsters who kidnapped my mother." Izuku frowned.

"Now now. Think about your future, son! With a Quirk like yours, any team of killers and robbers would love to have you. In fact, the guys you want were so thrilled to hear about your Quirk from me, they're on their way now." Giran sighed happily. "Any minute now, in fact."

Their conversation ended there once they heard a firm knock on the door. "Splendid!" Giran cheered.

In the door stepped a team of three men, only one of which Izuku recognized. His skin was very wrinkled everywhere, definitely more for his Quirk than because of aging because he moved like he was much younger than he appeared. He was one of the men who sat in the back of the van.

All three of them were dressed in black jackets and pants.

Izuku resisted the urge to pull out his guns now. He had to wait longer to get in closer, and get all the targets together into one room.

"So you're the kid?" The wrinkled villain asked.

"Don't look like much to me." Another frowned, bearing his sharp teeth.

"Not for now at least." The third smirked.

"He's got potential. Why don't y0u go see what he's worth." Giran smiled standing up from his seat at one of the nearest booths.

"You promised us warriors, Giran. Not just anybody 'with nothing left to lose'." The sharp-toothed villain said.

"I want to join. Let me see it." Izuku said boldly as he turned to the three men to face them. "I will prove myself useful to you."

For a moment, each of them smiled. "Alright then, kid. Let's show you off."


	8. Chapter 8: Calculations

Izuku glared at each of the men around him through his mask as they sat in the truck on the move. The few windows inside were deeply tinted, from the outside you couldn't even tell there were any windows at all.

"I see you're carrying some guns with you, kid. You a sharpshooter?" One of the villains asked glancing down at his bag resting at his side.

"I-I'm a little rusty about it." Izuku stuttered.

"Don't sweat it. You won't need 'em for long." The driver called back with a small smirk in his smile.

"I like them." Izuku said softly. "They make me feel bigger than I am..."

"He's got a point." Another of the three villains, one with large snake eyes, said. "You could be born with any powerful Quirk, but at the end of the day, we're all still human. Even skin-hardening Quirks have a time limit."

Izuku nodded in agreement.

"What do you guys call yourselves?" He asked.

There was silence for a moment before anyone answered.

"We work for the League of Villains." The driver said.

"The ones who attacked UA?" Izuku asked.

"Not us specifically, but yes. Our job is to build an army for them." The snaked-eyed villain explained.

"So you must have your work cut out for you..." Izuku sighed, referring to the failed attempt to kill All Might, and the arrest of over seventy villains, including the infamous Noumu.

"That's not funny. They've been very impatient with us. For some reason everyone we bring in isn't used directly in their smaller attacks." The third villain frowned, bearing tattoos on his body that seemed to swim across his exposed skin.

"Let's hope you're worth our time." The driver added.

Izuku nodded and looked on ahead as they pulled in to an old warehouse district.

"Some secret hideout." He scoffed.

"Shut up." The driver hissed.

They pulled inside a large open door then forcefully pulled Izuku out of the truck.

He stepped out with two villains holding him by his arms into the wide open space inside. There was a large door deeper inside that was shut at the time.

It looked like an abandoned factory, with multiple levels of platforms and side-office rooms. And there were criminals of every kind moving around with specific orders given. Some were carrying crates around, some carried what looked like lab and medical equipment. Some were carrying guns, some just had their Quirks. Most of them were going in and out of the previously sealed door.

"Now wait here with Hydra." They told him.

Izuku watched as one of the villains who took his mother walked away with another, into the next room, which was assumably bigger than he first expected.

They left him with the snake-eyed villain who stood right beside him, opposite of his side where his handbag was strapped.

Izuku didn't move his head much, but his eyes darted around the large, spacious factory area. He eyed the distance to the stairs that lead to the platforms upward. He eyed the number of villains around acting as guards and the kinds of weapons they had. Mostly semi-automatics.

Apart from the various groups of villains coming in and out of the other room, Izuku saw about three guards on his level spaced out on different sides of the room. Three more on the second level platforms. And roughly three more on the top.

His hand almost reached for his bag but something prompted him to walk forward.

Izuku tried hard to walk and act natural, control his breathing. He started to sweat as he walked to the large door where the villains who brought him had gone through.

"Kid, where are you going?" The snake-eyed man asked.

Izuku didn't answer, but he tried to. "J-Just going to see what's...in here."

"Not yet. That's the last thing you'll see here today." He said sternly.

Izuku turned his head to look back at the room behind him as he stood by the door.

He noticed as well, that the groups of criminals marching in and out came in certain intervals. There was about a forty second window where no one else was in the chamber except them and the stationary guards.

Calculating in his head, he let go of his emotions. For the first time since before his mother was taken, he felt no remorse for what he was thinking to do. No regret. No cares.

"Kid, get over here! If you want to be one of us you gotta-"

BOW

It happened so fast.

Izuku had turned around, reaching in his bag, pulling out the loaded pistol, and fired directly at the snake-eyed villain's head.

He collapsed without another noise on to his back.

The green-haired young man had no time to freeze up and reconsider his decision. It was done. And now he had only a few seconds to silence the guards before they called in others, and before a group came marching in.

Izuku turned to the first guard closest to him who was choosing to charge him with long sharp claws extended rather than anything long-range.

BOW

"AUGH!" The bullet hit him in the neck.

BOW

Another bullet, this time in his head.

Izuku realized he needed to keep track of his bullets as well.

"HEY!" A second guard shouted, raising his gun to fire.

Izuku lifted the gun with both hands, pointed and fired quickly.

The guard collapsed, dropping the bigger gun.

The boy ran from his position to where the guard fell and scooped up the gun. Remembering where the other guards were, he raised the big firearm and pulled the trigger, leaving his finger on it and watching as everywhere he pointed, men and women fell dead and bleeding. He pointed up to the other levels and watched as the bullets passed up through the crate platforms and up through the villains.

He also had to recognize an escape plan before reinforcements inevitably arrive. All the guards were down.

Again, his mind and his heart were silent as he instead ran deeper into the building to the next room.

Passing through, he stopped dead in his tracks and looked around at a near-empty chamber full of lab equipment, a few villain guards, and dozens of people strapped to tables with their brains exposed out of their skulls.

His arm bearing the weight of the semi-automatic dropped to his side as he walked around the room.

"Son of a bitch! Kill that kid!" One villain roared.

Izuku saw he wasn't alone and ducked as bullets shot over his head.

Raising the big gun again, he fired at the various tanks and barrels in the room hoping they do something explosive.

"You idiot!" A villain cried out.

Izuku jumped up and opened fire across the room, bringing down the three guards quickly.

One of the tanks he shot caught fire as it leaked some kind of gas.

He turned to leave but something stopped him as he passed by the people on the tables.

Heroes risk everything to save people. These people must be the kidnapped, which means. He turned and saw his own mother lying on her back in a hospital gown, with her scalp and top of her skull removed.


	9. Chapter 9: Breaking Point

"M-Mom!" Izuku blurted out. Big mistake.

No one had come into the room just yet. Still, he looked around frantically and launched from the spot on the ground he felt his feet had glued themselves to.

The boy rushed the table and quickly shook his mother. "Hey! W-Wake up!" He shouted.

"He's in here!" A voice announced through the doorway, prompting him to look up and immediately meet eyes with the same villain who didn't wear a mask that day. The one with spots all over his body.

"Jig is up, pal. Surrender yourself and maybe we'll make you useful." He said.

Izuku pulled up his gun and fired.

The Spot villain ducked and activated his Quirk, covering his body in the hard spots and standing back up.

"You can't penetrate my skin with that gun." He snickered. "Might as well give up while you can. We don't consider just anyone a threat for killing a few of us. But a few more and my boss won't be so forgivable."

Izuku didn't listen to his warning. He aimed and fired the gun. Despite the confidence in the villain, the bullets passed straight through his shoulder, causing him to howl in pain.

"Damn!" He hissed and collapsed to inspect his wounds and avoid further hits.

Neither of them knew it, but a smile began to grow on Izuku's lips through his mask.

Inko Midoriya, his mother, began to stir on the table in her restraints.

"Tryna...tryna be a hero, are we, kid? I'm interested to see that of all the test subjects here, you went straight for that useless bitch."

Izuku roared out and began firing bullets in his direction, although he was still out of sight on the ground clutching his shoulder.

The Spot villain quickly jumped up and fired his own pistol.

The bullets passed by Izuku narrowly and he unloaded the rest of the magazine at the villain, hitting him again in his arm.

He used the rest of his energy to activate his Quirk and rush out the door.

Izuku quickly reloaded to the best of his knowledge with this new gun, unclipping the magazine and loading in more bullets then clamping it back and firing at the door as more faceless villains tried to get in.

There wasn't enough bullets nor time to get out of this having killed all of them, so he only thing he could do now was grab his mother and run.

With the adrenaline of being in his first fire fight, he pulled off the restraints and scooped up the wounded woman in his arms like a firefighter would.

Then, he made a break for the door, passing through, and passing by a few bodies around his feet.

Miraculously, no one seemed to follow as he ran out of the factory and through the warehouse district until he felt something warm and wet making his grip on his mother slippery.

Turning the corner of an abandoned and decently hidden warehouse, he hid them both and finally looked down at her.

Inko had an enormous dark red spot on her hospital gown which was leaking through and down her body.

The Spot villain managed to hit her with the frantic bullets he fired. Whether he meant to hit her or not, it meant the same to Izuku.

"M-Mom?!" He rustled her in his arms as he collapsed to his knees, resting her body on his thighs. "Mom! Don't go! Please hold on! I'm here! I just got here! Please!"

She opened her eyes to look up at his own. Through the mask, she recognized them as her son.

"Mom!" Izuku quickly pulled off his mask for them both to look deeper at each other. Tears flowed down his cheeks.

Her mouth was stuck half-open, as she slowly, weakly raised her arm up to his head. She planted the palm of her hand against his wet cheek.

She did not have the strength to tell him anything, nor the strength to move. The last of her energy was spent with one subtle gesture of love for her son.

Then, as her hand fell from his face and her eyes turned to glass, Izuku sobbed loudly.

"I'm... I'm here... I'm here, Mom..." He sobbed repeatedly, choking up and losing himself. He pulled her upper body up closer and hugged it tightly.

"I'm so sorry... So so so so sorry..."

The only one who ever thought he could become a hero, even without a Quirk, even with doubts of her own, was gone. Like flashing lights in slow motion, many many thoughts passed through the boy's mind at once, then went away and replaced themselves with bitter emptiness that numbed his senses.

Tears flowed, and then stopped. His hands curved tightly into fists, then loosened their grip.

He went through these shockwaves for what felt like hours, while the villainous group at the factory didn't know what to think about what happened.

Izuku didn't know which of the people he had killed before were involved with taking his mother. When the five villains attacked in the first place, all but one wore masks. Still he was able to recognize one with wrinkled skin. And the one with spots.

"What the hell was that?!" The very villain hissed in pain as a female villain, who happened to be wearing the same black clothes from when she helped in kidnapping the woman, was treating his wounds.

"Nobody knew what that kid was capable of. Apparently." She sighed.

"The League of Villains recruited middle schoolers, teenagers, high schoolers, kids. How did we let this one get away with this?!" He snapped.

"Because this one already had a mission." A new voice rang through the factory.

A dark shadow hung over the group of villains who were counting their dead, and treating their wounded.

"B-Boss..." The Spot villain addressed him.

"All we welcome in are dangerous no matter what they look like." He said, seemingly not affected by the situation. Like everything that happens, in and out of control, is part of his plan. Or he had the patience of a god.

"This boy wanted revenge." He continued. "You took his loved one, and he took her back. I say let him go. He is no longer relevant. We will move on."

"He took a proto-Noumu, Sensei." The female villain reminded him.

"Proto, meaning she was no where near ready. We have her blood, and we have more Noumu. Life goes on, Fatale." He addressed her villain name.

"Young Shigaraki has been given three new Noumu to test. Let's get back to work if we want to grow our forces, properly."

"We can't just let this slide, sensei." The Spots villain nudged.

"Sure we can! And if the boy decides to come back, we will be prepared. He is Quirkless. Good with a firearm, sure. But we have everything he does not. He won't get far next time." He said through his intimidating yet necessary mask, and marched off.


	10. Chapter 10: Sympathy

The television played another news story.

Nothing about what happened two nights ago. But about last night.

Hosu City had three more of those multi-Quirk monsters attack the public mindlessly. Dozens of citizens were killed.

And in the same city, completely unrelated to the attack, two heroes died. A professional hero named Native, and a student of UA.

Izuku turned to the screen and looked sadly as they read off the name: Tenya Iida.

The story they gave was that he was found dead in an alleyway with Native and that he was Native's temporary intern while his actual intern was away helping with the bigger villainous threats.

A villain by the name of Hero Killer: Stain caught Izuku's emerald eyes.

And mentions of a controversial video explaining his motives, that he was no ordinary villain.

It interested the boy enough for him to quickly search for it on his phone. Soon enough he found it and downloaded it, knowing it would most likely be taken down before his watching the video online ended.

He sat on his bed, in his designated room of his foster parents' house, with his earphones in, and pressed the play button on his phone screen.

As he watched, he began to take notes.

This villain killed that strict, but decently kind boy from UA he happened to meet, along with that cute girl. Izuku should hate him like he hates all villains. But Stain believed in something he wouldn't normally find attractive.

He recognized that hero society is corrupt. That heroes only did their jobs for money and glory and not because it was the right thing to do. The best were always heroes with flashy Quirks and sexy bodies and the rest were left in the dust.

Izuku didn't relate all too well. He could see similarities between himself and the Hero Killer. But Izuku could care less about what heroes thought. If they want to bask in the spotlight rather than help people like his mother, let them.

He put down the phone, not finishing the video. He was no villain. He never wanted to be a villain. But Stain, in a twisted and fanatic way, had a point. And Izuku couldn't be ignorant to ignore it. The police didn't try making his kidnapped mother a priority. And any heroes with Quirks that could easily track down a van that turns invisible, could have helped.

The police could just call the tracker-Quirks, assemble a SWAT team, and take out that factory.

Instead, a 15 year old boy had to do it.

That's what defines a hero. When no one else steps up to help, a real hero would risk everything to save even one person.

And yet...he failed.

Izuku felt a tear leak from his eye down his cheek again.

He picked up his phone and continued to watch the video.

Stain had a blood-related Quirk. But he relied on weapons. Swords, knives, spikes, blades of every kind on his body. And his incredible speed and agility.

If Izuku was to avenge his fallen, he needed to build himself up. Not just in guns. Guns and ammunition are hard to come by in Japan.

That moment of that morning, he dropped off the bed and started doing pushups until his arms gave out.

He laid on the ground for a moment to let his arms rest, then when he felt decently replenished, he stood up and climbed out of his window.

He spent the entire day jogging around the suburbs and continuing a routine of pushups, sit-ups, and various stretches in the park.

Passing by the beach, the boy stopped to look. The entire shoreline was covered in trash of every size. Even entire pieces of furniture.

Heroes also performed community service. And what better way to get in shape than working with heavy objects?

He hadn't smiled in a long time. But this idea almost did it.

The green-haired boy climbed down to the sand and scanned the beach with his eyes, then began to lift and carry an old rotting nightstand.

Izuku dumped it on the pavement just off the beach, then went back to pick up more heavier pieces of trash and repeat the process.

Thoughts of his mother, encouraging him as a child to become a hero flashed in his mind and pushed him through any bits of pain he was enduring.

And for some reason, the memory of his day spent walking and talking with that brunette girl and Tenya Iida flashed as well. He stopped in his tracks.

While he barely knew the student who died, he figured she knew him. She must be devastated.

Checking the time on his phone, he realized that their class would get out soon and sprinted from the beach to the train station.

Making it just in time, the train dropped him off near the gates of UA High.

At that moment, he saw the students leaving to go to their respective homes.

His green eyes searched the crowd of uniforms for the girl's curled hair. She was spotted, walking alone amidst the other students, flashing a smile here and there but keeping to herself.

Izuku's heart sank. She was clearly hurt. There were a few other classmates around her who didn't seem to be in good moods either, but none stood out more than hers.

He mustered up some courage to run to her and call after her. But he felt embarrassed because he forgot her name in that crucial moment despite already running and shouting "Hey!"

Ochako looked up slightly to watch him hesitantly rush over.

"Oh. Hi." She waved.

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot your name!" Izuku panicked as he was now standing in front of her, preventing her from walking any faster.

"I-It's fine. I'm Ochako Uraraka." She said.

"Uraraka..." Izuku felt much worse now.

"I-I heard about what happened..." He sighed sympathetically.

Ochako remained silent and kept walking. After a moment, she spoke. "He was such a good friend... The greatest example to all of us..."

Izuku lowered his head with her. "I'm sorry..." He said.

"The villain got his brother just a week before... Paralyzed him from the waist down..."

"Oh... Ingenium. That happened during your sports festival..." Izuku remembered.

Ochako fought back tears as best as she could. She had her arms folded and bit her lip but couldn't stop as they started to crawl down her rosy cheeks.

Izuku didn't know what to do. He knew, in a way, how she was feeling. Should he tell her that?

"I-I...know what it's like...to lose someone close to you... Someone who encouraged you so much that it seems like they were always there for you..." He said. Don't cry, dammit.

Ochako looked up at him and nodded.


	11. Chapter 11: Bench Sharing

Izuku and Ochako sat beside each other at a bench in the park.

Neither of them really realized that Izuku missed his stop and got off the train with her. And they had walked in near silence together to the park near her apartment.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked with her head low in her hands.

Izuku noticed she wasn't touching her face with her pinkies. He nodded. "S-Sure."

"..." She sighed and sat up. "You still want to be a hero? Even though you're Quirkless and unable to get into UA?"

Izuku turned to her with a sincere look in his eyes. "Yes. To be a hero means to do the right thing..." He sighed. "Even if no one else will help you."

"...What do you mean?" Ochako asked.

Izuku sighed again. "I-It's nothing..."

"Oh." She looked down again.

He winced, feeling guilty. He could trust her, couldn't he? Well, he did only meet her once before. But she seemed genuine. No secrets to hide so why bother? And she was at a low point, she just lost a close friend.

"Can...Can I ask you something?" Izuku asked hesitantly.

Ochako felt a bit nervous. This boy sounded like he was entrusting her with something deep. Most likely pertaining to their conversation. She nodded. "Yeah..."

"Something happened... Months ago...my mother was kidnapped..." He shared.

Ochako turned to him sympathetically.

"I begged the police for help... And they filed the report to heroes and other police stations. Yet they never found her." He clenched his fists.

Ochako put a hand on his shoulder. "It's a hard world, Izuku. Everyone's got superpowers."

"But not me." Izuku looked down and glared at the ground between his legs. "Still... I wanted to do something about it..."

Ochako raised an eyebrow at him. "What could you possibly do, Izuku Midoriya?"

"...Bring them justice." He kept his glare.

"Izuku... Is this what you were scared to tell me?"

"What?" Izuku looked at her worriedly.

"I won't judge you. I promise. I just... You know it's not right, right? I know it's hard... Believe me... But you really should just leave it to the professionals."

"So what. They have a degree from school, they have a license, and they get to parade around telling everyone that everything is okay with big smiles when we're actually suffering!" As he rambled on for the moment, he became visibly upset and enraged, slamming his fist on the bench between them, making Ochako jump.

"Izuku... You're scaring me." Ochako said.

Izuku sighed and steamed off. "I'm sorry... It's just not fair..." She wasn't ready to hear what he had done.

Once again, she put her hand on his shoulder. "There's always a bright side. You can still be a hero in your own way. There are lots of things you can still do without a license or degree." She smiled warmly.

The boy smiled lightly with her. He nodded and looked on ahead at the sky.

"I don't blame you for these feelings, Izuku Midoriya." Ochako said. "Just be careful, okay? Leave it to the pros. They'll get your mom back."

"If you were there... When your friend was being killed... What would you have done?" Izuku asked.

The question really caught her off guard and sent her back into the dark place she was in before, yet she knew not to let it get to her this time. He was still asking her a real question after all. But why?

"I would've... Izuku, I can't just attack the villain who killed him."

"Yes you can." Izuku frowned. "He's there, in that alleyway stabbing your friend to death..."

She started to tear up. "Can we change the subject?"

"Any real hero, no matter the consequence, would rush to save him...stop that villain. Because your friend wasn't his first nor will he be his last victim." Izuku explained.

Ochako felt herself crying again. "I couldn't be there... I wanted to so badly!"

"Then you know how I feel!" Izuku shouted out. "So powerless, chained by all these laws, and my own weakness!"

She gasped and stood up. "I-I have to go. I'm sorry, Midoriya. I have to go..." She quickly walked away cupping her cheeks as she left.

Izuku watched her walk away and he noticed his hand was out to her.

He groaned and sat back in shame. "I'm...s-such an idiot."

Ochako ran home with tears falling down her cheeks, yet she kept thinking of his question, and his words. He was right in describing what a true hero would and should do. But it just sounded so...evil. It's the same logic villains use to justify their acts of violence. You have to prove you will use your power, your authority, to ensure peace in this world, and that's why you must gain a license and go through the proper trainings and teachings.

She wanted no part in anything he was or wasn't doing, but she felt so bad leaving him behind. He was hurting like she was and she shut him out.

Izuku remained on the bench for a while longer in thought. He didn't blame her for her reaction. But he refused to believe anything he was doing was outright wrong or evil. Vigilante, villain, hero, call him whatever. He was going to avenge his mother. And save or avenge all the other people who were kidnapped and used like Frankenstein's monster.

He'll start, by hunting down good ol' Spotsy.

And anyone and everyone else responsible for choosing his mother to take, out of all the people in Japan.

[Author's Note: I'm making this comment here to add some missing context and avoid confusion. When the League of Villains attacked the USJ, without Izuku, they managed to kill Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta. However, All Might survived and was able to escape without being exposed. I believe that Izuku didn't do much to buy him time. The other heroes showed up at the right time either way. That is all. If you have any review, I hope you make it constructive and positive because I don't really like the CinemaSins style comments on all my chapters.


	12. Chapter 12: Relaying Information

Weeks passed. The semester came to a close.

Izuku had kept up his merciless workout routine every day, watching his weight, diet, and even his sleep schedule.

On occasion, when he stayed out late and heard local disturbances (burglaries, muggings, domestic violences), he would pull out his suit from his backpack, and shoot the offender down to immobilize them before they got too far.

One, or two times, his aim was off and the offender died too quickly.

Still, he kept this schedule, and this behavior every day and night.

Izuku also remained closed off from his foster home, his classmates in high school. Anyone and everyone he knew. Yet somedays, he would watch from afar as Ochako Uraraka would get off of her train and walked home.

"It just seems so...evil."

She seemed so terrified of the idea.

He was no villain. No matter what, he won't let himself stoop to that degree. Villains are selfish. They kill because they can, because it's fun. Izuku killed because it was necessary. Because they took his mother, and several other people who have families and friends grieving their disappearance.

He stopped his thought process.

He failed, and yet he hasn't attempted to save those people since. He hadn't attempted to go back and finish off those villains.

The boy got an idea and followed after Uraraka.

"Hey!" He called. "Uraraka-san!"

The girl recognized his voice and refused to turn around. "Don't follow me!" She called back.

"Wait, please! I wanted to ask you something!" Izuku pleaded. He ran up and stopped right in front of her, making her jump.

He was a bit close as well, causing her to grow a small blush in her cheeks.

"I can't talk, Midoriya. I have to pack for a camping trip."

"Oh?" He asked.

"Yes. UA is having a camp for our classes to increase our abilities as heroes." She said rather impatiently, to answer his question so he would let her go.

"That'll be good. And it sounds like a safe place to do it too... Wh-What with all the recent villain attacks and such..." Izuku said.

Uraraka glared at him. "Yeah..."

"D-Do you know if the League of Villains is responsible for all those Noumu monsters?" He asked.

"Yes. They are. But they haven't done anything since those three Noumu they unleashed in Hosu were destroyed." Uraraka said.

Izuku gulped. "Wh-What if I knew where they're keeping people to turn into Noumu?"

Uraraka narrowed her eyes, tightening her brow. "I wouldn't want to believe you. I don't know why I would. But I might...believe you... You should report it to the police."

Izuku sighed.

"I'm serious, Midoriya! That's huge! If you actually legitimately found something that big, you should report it. I know you think the police and heroes aren't fast at responding to these things... But the situation in Hosu and the USJ months back... Most of Japan is looking out for the League of Villains." She explained.

"It's just...not that easy." He sighed. "What if they're using the time to start something really big? Make more Noumus and probably something worse?"

"May I ask how you found out about this stuff?" She asked him.

Izuku lowered his head in shame. For once in a long time, he found someone he didn't want to disappoint anymore. Someone to tell what's on his mind, and yet, someone to keep secrets from.

"I can't believe you would find out about this stuff and not tell anybody... What is going through your head? If you're killed, then that's it... Everything you know will die with you."

"I saw...in an old factory...near the coast... They have kidnapped dozens of random people, with decent Quirks... And they were turning them all into those things..." He sniffed. "I saw my mother there..."

Uraraka gasped. "Izuku... If you won't tell anyone about this..." She sighed. "Then please tell me, okay? Your...Your secret will be safe with me, just tell me everything you know. I can relay the information to All Might and the pro-heroes."

He proceeded to explain to her, on that sidewalk with no one around, everything he saw that night he infiltrated the villains' lair. He purposefully left out certain details, such as the specific villains he wanted to kill.

"So you pretended to be a low-level thug and let them take you?" She asked.

"I bet they've bulked up their system now. They probably don't let in just anyone anymore." Izuku assumed.

"Well... Th-Thank you for telling me this. I want to keep your side of it a secret for your sake, but how?" Uraraka asked.

More importantly, what made her feel this way that she didn't want to completely expose him as well?

Izuku thought for a moment then looked up at her. "Tell them the Hero Killer told you, out of pity for your friend... He's tied to the League, isn't he?"

"N-Not completely. His ideals and the League's ideals aren't really the same." She corrected. "But the story could work."

"That's good." Izuku nodded. "Thank you..."

Uraraka forced a smile. "I don't like what you do, Izuku Midoriya... But you seem like a good boy. And your knowledge may give us an upper hand." Her smile slowly grew more genuine to him.

Izuku smiled back. "Good luck on your camping trip." He said.

"Thanks!" She cheered, nearly jumping back to her bubbly personality. "I'll see you around Izuku!"

"See you..." Izuku smiled and waved as she started to walk past him and down the sidewalk.

When she was out of his view, his smile dropped.

Soon, she would relay the information to the heroes. As slow as they have been in the past to respond to crucial situations, Izuku felt that they cared a little more about this one. He didn't have much time left.

The boy rushed back and threw his costume on with one mission: To find a way back into that factory one way or another, and finish off all the villains assigned to kidnap innocent lives. And if he had time, the villains responsible for actually turning them into monsters.

And the sun wasn't even completely set yet.


	13. Chapter 13: Embrace Darkness

As soon as he saw the news, he threw on his costume, grabbed his bag, and ran.

And ran, and ran.

Another villain attack. More dead. One was a child.

Izuku roared out in fury as he ran.

There was no need for heroes at this point. What was needed was a monster. Fire to fight fire.

He didn't have a way to get to the factory faster than his legs. The trains took a route too far from it.

Instead, he traveled to the first stop. The underground of Tokyo's streets.

Pro-heroes dead. Students dead. Katsuki Bakugo, a name Izuku knew from childhood, was kidnapped.

He didn't see Ochako Uraraka's name in the deceased. Nevertheless he was terrified. And filled with rage.

The League of Villains had to pay. And anyone else who stood in his way.

The attack happened last night. And school had just gone out when Izuku received the alert.

The flash of black and grey dashed through the darker streets. It was too early to have the neon signs lit but the sun would set in a couple hours.

He screeched to a halt and turned to a familiar door and slammed his fist against it a few times.

"Hey! Hey!" Giran answered the door with a less than patient look on his face. "Ah shit."

Izuku sent his leg forward, knocking the villain in the stomach, back through his doorway. He jumped in after him, shutting the door in the same swift move.

"You have five seconds to show me the fastest route to the League of Villains' hideout." He threatened.

"So..." He exhaled. "The rumor about you was true. You did shoot up their little shop of horrors." Giran chuckled and rolled on to his knees.

Izuku planted his shoe on the man's spine and pressed down. "Five seconds!"

Suddenly a loud bang and a small crater in the wood floor appeared beside Giran's head.

"AH! Damn!" He shouted clutching his ears.

"Four seconds!" Izuku shouted.

"You know the way, damn you! In the warehouse district up a couple blocks!" He shouted.

Izuku cocked the pistol in his hands.

"Why would I lie to you?!" He yelled.

"So you get me out of your place." Izuku said. "But I know how to find this place. I ran straight here. If you've sent me on a wild goose chase... You won't walk out of here alive."

Giran chuckled. He seemed to be more acquainted with threats than what was sane. "I'll be here."

Izuku tilted his head. His eyes completely invisible inside his mask. "...On second thought."

He turned and shot Giran in both legs as he tried to stand up.

He then got down on the ground beside the shouting man and aimed his gun up, lining it with the horizon of Giran's back, and fired again.

He collapsed with a squeal and not much else.

"There. Now you won't walk out of here." Izuku said coldly, standing back up and looking down at the paralyzed villain.

"Enjoy your nap. I'll be back for more if you're lying." He said as he walked out and sarcastically, courteously shut the door behind himself gently.

As the boy walked back out, he realized the adrenaline rushing through his veins and sighed.

"What am I doing? Am I really turning myself into a killer?"

"I'm not Hero Killer Stain. But I'm not like All Might... Could I ever become anything like him?"

Defenseless Izuku! You'll never be able to hang with the best of the best! You're below these rejects, you're Quirkless! DEKU!

"...No."

Izuku smiled in his mask.

"And that's okay."

This journey has given him a sense of the real world. Something a school of heroes could never teach about being a hero: the world hates heroes. Villains spawn out of hate for them, criminals kill, kidnap, steal, rape, torture, and take whatever they want. And heroes are just told to stop them, but not even they do the arresting.

True justice must be given no matter how many people disagree. Killers should be killed. Bad people should be detained. Mutts...should be put down.

For some reason, as he began to run toward the warehouse district, Izuku kept thinking about Katsuki's last words to him months ago. The names he called him. Especially Deku.

Deku could be the name of a hero. A name nobody will appreciate, because he kills villains rather than comply with the law.

But it's how it must be done. Stain is wrong to kill heroes. They're all show and little help but some of them try. All Might is very much in love with the spotlight but even he practices what he preaches.

But Stain is right in one thing. The monsters of our society must be purged. Tonight.

Izuku nodded to himself as he ran down the district, passing by colossal warehouses. Some empty, some in use, just closed for the work day's end.

He stopped to catch his breath as he turned the corner. He looked up to see the one and only factory.

Now if he was to get back in there again, he needed to change tactics. Especially since they could be on high alert, expecting heroes from all backgrounds, and all reasons to be going after them. Him included.

If only Ochako Uraraka could see him now. Hell, Katsuki Bakugo. Maybe this is where they're keeping him too.

Izuku quickly scanned his inventory inside his sidebag. Two handhelds, pistols. A semi-automatic rifle, stolen from the body of a villain. And ammunition for each, also stolen. Along with a few knives, two of which were stored in his costume, in two opposite pouches on his belt.

Not to mention various tools such as a hammer, and his hero shurikens.

He closed the bag and tightened its strap on his shoulder. Then he proceeded toward the factory, which appeared vacant, or at least devoid of activity. The perfect trap.

It was time to move. Little did he know, he wasn't the only one on the move that night.


	14. Chapter 14: Welcome to the League

Shell-Horn, the villain whose Quirk were the spots on his body, had put the entire factory on lockdown. He offered to let the Doctor stay there for protection but he preferred his own private space with security, far from the attention and targeting eyes of any heroes...or worse.

It was a dark day.

Unbeknownst to Izuku, All Might and the other pro-heroes had located the League of Villains' hideout on the other side of the city and had begun their ambush.

The boss, and the Doctor, had left Shell-Horn in charge.

Izuku had no idea how long he had. And he was low on ammunition. So he had to make this quick.

"Guard the Noumus. Let the pro-heroes come! We'll be ready!" Shell-Horn announced and directed villains left and right.

Suddenly, the lights in the facility went out.

"Dammit. Check the fuse box!" He ordered.

Two villains nodded and rushed to the outside where the fusebox, connected to the side of the building was riddled with bullet holes.

"Not many pros carry guns..." One said softly to the other.

"We gotta warn Shell-Horn..."

"No need." Izuku said behind them.

As they turned around, he fired his pistol, blowing holes in their heads.

Izuku's body shook. Two more people dead by his hand. But it was for a cause.

He bent down and took their guns, and one carried a small round object with a handle, and a pin.

A villain with large bat-like ears looked up. "Shell-Horn! Shots fired outside!"

"Get to your stations, everyone! Get your guns out. If this is ain't the pro-heroes, it's that amateur who caught our guard down..." Shell-Horn shouted. "Not this time..."

Emergency lights flashed, rotating the only source of light in circles around the large, open building.

Shell-Horn activated his Quirk as the sounds of metal bent and clanged. All eyes were on the exits.

One of the doors exploded off its hinges and fell forward inside.

Villains unloaded their semi-automatic rounds at the open doorway through the smoke.

"Hold your fire!" Shell-Horn ordered.

They stopped.

Then, the Spots villain watched as his partner beside him collapsed to the ground following a bang.

"Ruki!" He picked her up and saw the large gaping hole in her forehead.

He gasped and bit his lip, then glared in pure anger and looked up. "Open fire! He's in here!"

Bullets went left and right. The only source of light only illuminating the room for a moment at a time, and Izuku never stood in one place, even in darkness.

More villains collapsed with wounds in their shoulders. As they screamed out, their shouts were cut off with final blows to their heads.

Shell-Horn felt a bullet hit his shoulder and bounce off. It didn't pierce his body, but the impact still hurt nonetheless.

"Damn!" He shouted.

The bat villain jumped around the room, so far avoiding the gunfire.

"Shell-Horn! Move to the Noumu lab! I have an idea! We can corner him there!" He shouted.

"Yeah, okay!" Shell replied.

One villain managed to shine a flashlight down his path on the third level, only to see Izuku charging him with two knives.

She fired her gun only for Izuku to duck and slash her legs.

She went down and turned to see a dark figure in a bunny shaped costume plunge the knives into her neck from both sides.

He pulled the knives out and threw them at the platform above him.

One sunk up into a villain's foot through the crate metal flooring.

Izuku then fired his gun and finished him off, sending several bullets up through the criminal's panicking body.

He heard commotion back on the bottom floor and ran back down to see the remaining villains run back to where the Noumu were kept.

The young man rushed back down and stood before the doorway.

He could visibly see all of them had their guns out pointed in his direction.

By their order, Shell-Horn had them wait for his signal.

"My my. I've never seen anyone, powered by literally nothing but hatred and vengeance, accomplish something of this magnitude." He shouted.

Izuku didn't respond. He just stood, thinking of a plan. He needed to kill them all in that room but he had nothing big and fast enough for it without getting shot in return.

"Of course, I should mention, you picked the right night for this. Boss is finally showing the world who we are and what we're capable of. The pros are after that kid, and the Boss is after All Might. And we're stuck here with only ourselves to defend." Shell-Horn said.

"So whether it's luck, fate, All Might, vigilantism, hatred, rage, vengeance. What ever. I'm impressed."

Izuku took a step forward, inside the doorway.

"That's it..." Shell-Horn smiled.

"I'm no vigilante. I'm doing what the heroes should do." Izuku defended.

"Funny thing you say that. They're on their way here right now." The villain smirked. "While All Might concentrated fighting the boss and the League boys, the pros are said to be making their way to our district as we speak. And when they come, they'll see this...young villain, holding us hostage. You'll be treated just like the rest of us are."

Izuku glared through his mask. "That is not true! A hero puts an end to evil like you. Prevents you from ever taking mothers away from sons again..."

Shell-Horn snickered. "Welcome to the League of Villains, my boy. You have three options now. You can put down those guns and accept your place among us as scum of society, you can try fighting us which will inevitably lead to your death, or you can turn around, and run away while you still can."

Izuku stopped. His eyes darted around the room.

Six remaining villains, all spread out among five Noumu. And a sixth one? He couldn't recognize her at first, but he saw the pro-hero Ragdoll lying on a table similar to how he found his mother. Only she looked like she was just barely put there. Must have been the outcome of the attack on the camp where Uraraka was staying.

He kept looking, not thinking. A few canisters were behind Shell-Horn and the bat villain.

Two more villains stood with their guns out in the center of the room. Two more stood on the far side.

But each one had canisters nearby.

But shooting one could kill Ragdoll too.

But the villains had to die.

But Izuku was being given a chance to do more as a hero. Save those he couldn't before.

He roared in frustration.

"Any time now kid." Shell-Horn said.

Suddenly, a bullet hole appeared in his head, between two spots.

Before anyone else could react, Izuku shot the canisters, killing the remaining villains with a fiery explosion that shook through the room.

Almost at the same time, the farthest wall broke open from a kick from a giant's foot, and pro-heroes of Izuku's childhood dreams poured through, steaming out the fire and shielding Ragdoll. One hero, Tiger who worked alongside her, scooped up Ragdoll in his arms and ran.

"What the hell happened here?!" The pro-hero Best Jeanist asked.

Through the commotions, eyes quickly turned to Izuku.

They were all expecting someone much worse. And instead locked eyes with Izuku Midoriya.


	15. Chapter 15: You’re a Villain

Izuku had so many questions still unanswered.

Like how this skeletal angry man said he was All Might.

He was wearing his clothes, the same hair color, but too messy, the eye color was the same, but very sunken in.

"Never have I ever heard of something so shocking." He said.

Izuku looked up at him.

"None of the other heroes could form a thought about you." He continued.

"How am I supposed to believe that you're All Might?" Izuku asked, ignoring his other dozens of questions.

"How am I supposed to believe that a hero I've looked up to all my life, is standing right before me after I murdered a whole warehouse of villains?" He asked.

The skeletal man sighed and stood up tall. In the artificial light of the jail cell, the man began to grow tall and muscular. His blue eyes disappeared as his cheekbones formed muscle, and a big smile that was more for show than genuine.

"Young man, I can't even begin to describe how disappointed I am in you."

Now Izuku was listening. He sat up staring face to face with his idol.

"B-But how can that be?... Everything I ever did was because it's what you and the others taught me! It's what a real hero would have done!"

"Even the best heroes should report to the police. Only they have the authorization to-"

"NO!" Izuku shouted.

He wasn't even sure this was the real All Might, but in the moment he didn't care who this man was.

"They took my mother... She's dead because of them." Izuku grumbled with tears in his eyes.

"That's revenge. Something heroes should never pursue. And don't." All Might explained.

"No because I killed them so they would never take innocent lives again." Izuku hissed.

"Hundreds of people lost their lives last night. The leader of the League of Villains was defeated, and so was my career." All Might said. "What you did made nothing better. The hero Ragdoll is Quirkless now."

"But alive." Izuku said.

"She would have been killed had the heroes not shown up at that moment!" The old hero shouted.

"I'm Quirkless... All. Might." Izuku snapped. "If I'm able to get by, despite everyone treating me like trash, then so can she! She has friends and family and fans. I have no one! And I was prepared to die to stop the League."

All Might sighed. A part of him really did genuinely feel sympathetic for this boy. He could see his heart, his intentions. But it was all now clouded in darkness.

"My boy, you're here because you're a villain."

"Deku is the name of a hero!" Izuku shouted.

All Might looked at him and quickly started losing control of his muscle form, shrinking back to his skeletal self.

Izuku lowered his head and started to laugh.

And he laughed some more. And laughed more as he looked up, meeting eyes again.

"You're not the All Might I worshipped. You're a fraud. And if the All Might I idolized really did lose his career last night, then maybe he should have died with it. And so should have I." He smiled.

"My boy..."

"But if I'm still alive, then I still have a purpose... The League is still out there. And frauds like you are out there..." Izuku said through gritted teeth.

"And if everyone says Deku is the name of a villain..." He laughed. "Then so be it... Everyone fears a good villain. Even other villains..."

All Might stood up. "I wish I could have helped you sooner... I do..."

Izuku roared at him through the glass. "Next time, send the real All Might to me!"

The hero turned around, swishing his cape as he went. "I'm sorry, boy. But I suppose he really is dead..."

Izuku lost all feeling in his mind and began to laugh again. Somehow, this irony was funny to him.

"I have other villains to see today. Look inside yourself and see what you really want now. Because you don't have much of a choice anymore." He counseled before he exited his viewing room out the door.

Izuku laughed and laughed.

"Midoriya! Shut up! You have another visitor." A guard shouted from the doorway.

People were talking amongst themselves in the hall but he couldn't see who. Until she stepped in.

His laughter died as he was now facing Ochako Uraraka, who stared at him with the most heart-broken, terrified look on her face.

"Izuku?..." She asked. Her cheeks were stained from crying so much.

When he thought he lost himself, he felt his heart beating again and lowered his head in shame.

"Wh-Why?..." She teared up. "I lost my friends Tsuyu...Tenya...Mina...Minoru...my teacher Mr. Aizawa...So many..."

Izuku sighed.

"I barely know you and yet I didn't want to lose you too... How could you do this?" She sniffed.

He remained silent. She must have heard his conversation with All Might, or whoever that man really was.

The boy had no excuses. Anything he told All Might, he couldn't just tell her, except that it was how he really felt. He was broken. And his heart was full of darkness. Yet he was embracing it over moving on.

"I want you to know... For your sake, this is goodbye." Uraraka said.

Izuku nodded slowly.

"I can't affiliate myself with you anymore. I won't be seeing you again..." She cried.

"I know..." He said. "For your sake... Don't come back."

Uraraka gasped and took a step back. She covered her mouth as her attempts to fight off tears stopped.

"G-Goodbye, Izuku Midoriya." She cried out and ran out the door.

Izuku once again caught himself reaching out to her, his hand pressed up against the glass.

Hours later, the lights were out. It was cold in the cell. He laid down on his bunk thinking, more or less of what to think about. He was beyond the point of no return, but the All Might impersonator told him that it was still his choice, although it was limited.

That's when the cracks in the brick wall on one side of his cell started to fill with a mysterious green substance.

It bubbled and expanded, cracking the brick and breaking it down swiftly.

Izuku looked up from his bunk to see his costume land on his lap.

"You're the one called Deku, correct?" A man asked from behind the cracking wall. As more and more bricks fell, the man's face and body were more visible through the blinding outside light.

"Y-Yes?" Izuku asked.

"You better come take a look at this." He directed.

Izuku stood up and carried his costume with him as he walked out the broken wall where a few dozen people dressed in various costumes stood. Some of them were holding the jailers at gunpoint.

"Deku. We live to serve you. We say death to the villains that have destroyed our families, and down with the images of false heroes." He said.

Izuku looked around in shock at the people who came together because of what he did. Turning to the television playing the news, his story was on there as well, under the story that All Might and All For One defeated one another in battle.

He started to smile.

"Do they see me as a hero?..."

"No." The man beside him said. "Something more."

THE END


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